Barbarian's Adventure in a Fantasy World-Chapter 53: Escort Request

A week had passed and the journey toward the Denian Kingdom continued. Elene chewed on a piece of jerky, her face gaunt and tired.

The jerky, so dried and shriveled that it was hard to tell whether it was meat or stone, was tough enough to make her jaw ache with every bite. She placed it in her mouth and slowly let it soften with saliva, trying to make it easier to consume.

While she gnawed on the jerky, an enticing aroma wafted through the air. Ketal was cooking again. The smell was so tantalizing it was difficult to resist. Unable to bear it, Elene staggered to her feet.

“I am going to go somewhere for a bit. It might take a while,” she said.

“Are you going to the bathroom?” Ketal asked nonchalantly.

Elene’s face flushed bright red at his bluntness. “H-how rude!”

“Oh, my apologies. Now that I think about it, that wasn’t something I should have said to a young lady,” Ketal said, surprisingly offering a sincere apology.

His unexpected attitude left Elene momentarily flustered. “No, it’s fine.”

An apology? He certainly isn’t an ordinary barbarian, Elene thought, but that it didn’t make it any more trustworthy.

She made her way to a nearby stream. She soaked the jerky in the flowing water until it became damp and soft enough to chew. Only then did it become slightly more palatable.

Squatting by the stream like a squirrel, she gnawed at the softened jerky. At some point, a faint whimper escaped her lips. “I’m so hungry...”

She had been eating nothing but jerky for over a week. It wasn’t particularly nutritious, and its hardness made it impossible to eat enough to feel full. Hunger was a constant companion.

This is so hard, she thought. The journey itself was grueling.

Though she had undergone royal education, which included physical training alongside academic lessons, the intensity of this trek far exceeded anything she had been prepared for. While the training had been rigorous, it hadn’t been designed to prepare her for an ordeal of this magnitude.

However, Elene had to endure, because this journey was necessary and Aron was suffering even more.

She thought about Aron. Her loyal retainer had done so much for her. He willingly took on responsibilities she couldn’t handle herself, enduring hardships for her sake. With someone like him by her side, she couldn’t allow herself to complain over something as trivial as this.

Lately, however, Aron’s gaze had become heavier, more burdened. Elene knew what that look meant—it was guilt. That guilt had grown even stronger in recent days.

You don’t need to feel that way, Aron, Elene thought.

After all, this was a path she had chosen herself. Aron had no reason to blame himself. When the time was right, she planned to have an honest conversation with him.

I need to be strong. Aron is having a harder time than I am.

As his master, she couldn’t allow herself to voice any complaints. Resolving herself, Elene quietly returned after hydrating.

As she approached the camp, she heard quiet noises.

“Oh, so that’s how you cook it?”

“Not bad, right?”

“It’s crude, but not terrible. It works when precise measurements aren’t an option.

“Huh?” Elene paused in surprise. The voices sounded casual, almost as if they belonged to old comrades sharing a meal.

She carefully crept closer, peeking through the trees toward the source of the voices. Then, she saw Aron, sitting right beside Ketal, eating the food Ketal had prepared with an expression that suggested he was actually enjoying it.

***

“Aron...,” Elene said.

“No! It’s not what it looks like!” Aron’s expression shifted dramatically as he sprang to his feet, hurriedly putting some distance between himself and Ketal. “No, Princess Elene! This is a misunderstanding!’

“Huh?” Ketal muttered.

Both Aron and Elene were so caught up in their emotions that they failed to notice Ketal’s reaction to the mention of the word princess.

“What exactly did I misunderstand, Aron?” Elene’s face clouded with betrayal.

They had agreed to be wary of the barbarian and protect each other. And yet, there Aron was, chatting amiably with one and even eating his food.

“I see... So that’s why your complexion has looked so strangely healthy lately. You’ve been secretly eating food prepared by the barbarian behind my back. Was it good? It must have been, given the smell, Elene remarked sharply.

Aron stammered, his face drained of color. “No, that’s not it... It’s just that... the timing was difficult to...”

“Timing? Are you saying you couldn’t find the right moment to tell me that you have become friendly with the barbarian?”

“No, my lady. I’m not saying that. I mean, this barbarian isn’t as bad as we thought. He is not someone we need to—”

“Is that something you should be saying right now?” Elene bit her lip, visibly trembling with frustration.

Aron stuttered, desperately trying to explain, but his words faltered.

I want you to calm down,” Ketal intervened smoothly, cutting through the tense atmosphere. “So, you refused to eat my food because you didn’t trust me? Well... I suppose I can’t blame you for hesitating to eat something made by someone you don’t trust. Is that why you’ve been splitting the night watch shifts too?”

“Well...” It was then that Elene realized the implications of her words. What she had just said was essentially a direct admission that they didn’t trust Ketal.

The dynamic shifted. Elene looked at Ketal with a stiff expression, stumbling over her words. “No, that’s not what I meant...”

“It doesn’t matter,” Ketal replied, stroking his chin thoughtfully. “Trust isn’t something that can be built overnight.”

He had expected this reaction. In this world, distrust of others ran deeper than it did on Earth. And prejudice against barbarians was even more deeply rooted. Even if he claimed he wasn’t a barbarian, there was no reason for them to believe him.

Elene and Aron had reluctantly accepted him as their escort and had never trusted him from the beginning. Ketal wasn’t naive enough to be unaware of that.

How should I resolve this? Ketal thought. After contemplating the matter, he reached his decision and spoke. “First, let me clear up any misunderstandings. I am not a barbarian.’ “Y-you’re not?” Elene asked, though her tone made it clear she was skeptical.

Ketal reiterated firmly. “To be precise, I was born as a barbarian, but I wasn’t raised as one.” freēwēbηovel.c૦m

“What?” Elene’s eyes widened, her disbelief replaced with a flicker of curiosity.

“I was born to barbarian parents. However, my tribe was annihilated a week after my birth. I was found crying amidst the ruins by a wandering adventurer, who took me in and raised me.”

It was a seamless web of lies, devoid of any truth, but Ketal didn’t care. Civilizations, at their core, relied on a foundation of minimal deception.

A sliver of belief crept into Elene’s eyes, where there had been none before.

Ketal continued his fabricated tale, “The adventurer who took me in later died during a journey. As a child, I was left to fend for myself. However, that was a problem.”

Though he had the body of a barbarian, Ketal had been raised as a civilized person. Still, the people around him only saw a barbarian.

“No one trusted me. Everyone feared me. I couldn’t find companions who would accept me. After countless travels, I finally found a place that would take me in,” Ketal continued.

“And that place was the Barcan Estate?” Elene asked.

“Correct.” Ketal nodded solemnly. “I am indeed a barbarian. But I am also a civilized man. While it’s understandable if you can’t trust me entirely. I hope you will at least acknowledge that.”

These were all lies. Not a single word of his story was true. But it didn’t matter. The pity beginning to surface in Elene’s expression was real. And strictly speaking, it wasn’t entirely false. While Ketal bore the physique of a barbarian, his intellect was undeniably that of a civilized man.

“I see,’ Elene murmured, nodding slowly. She couldn’t fully trust his words, but if she assumed them to be true, they explained his behavior toward her and Aron thus far.

Wait, come to think of it, his story has to be true. Otherwise, how could I make sense of his consistently kind actions? Elene thought.

A sudden wave of embarrassment washed over Elene. She had been taught not to judge people by appearance. Yet she had been frightened by Ketal’s barbarian exterior and had failed to trust him, their escort mercenary.

She had even treated the food he prepared as if it were poisoned.

I was so foolish, and Ketal is so brave for telling me all this, Elene thought. In her eyes, Ketal was someone who had likely endured countless hardships and suspicions because of his barbarian heritage.

Yet, despite all that, he hadn’t lost himself. He still cared for and respected others. He was practically a saint.

To think I doubted someone like him... Elene felt deeply ashamed. She lowered her head. “I am sorry, Mr. Ketal. I didn’t trust you.”

Gotcha, Ketal thought. He silently celebrated his success. He wanted to burst into a dance of triumph but managed to maintain his calm demeanor.

“It’s fine,” he said, shaking his head as if it were nothing. “I can’t blame you for the misunderstanding.”

“T-thank you.” Elene’s admiration grew even more. She believed Ketal was remarkable to respond so calmly, as if her distrust was no big deal.

Of course, Ketal was internally delighted by how well his plan had worked. Had no one been watching, he might have danced with joy.

However, Elene didn’t know any of this. To her, Ketal was someone to be respected.

“Then, I’ll be counting on you from now on,” Ketal said.

“Yes, of course,” Elene replied, nodding earnestly.

Aron, meanwhile, sighed in relief. At least now the princess wouldn’t scold him further. That night, for the first time since leaving her kingdom, Elene enjoyed a proper meal and fell asleep with her heart at ease.

***

From then on, the journey became much more manageable.

With Elene and Aron now accepting Ketal’s goodwill, he took over the entire night watch duty. Meals, though simple, were filling enough to sustain them for the journey.

“Wow, so that’s how you cook?” Elene watched Ketal as he prepared their food. This time, she was sitting right beside him. “That’s amazing. Who taught you how to do this?

“No one. I simply tried a bit of everything to survive. After a lot of trial and error, I figured out what works,” Ketal replied.

“Is that so? That’s impressive.” “Would you like to give it a try? It’s more fun than it looks.”

“Well, if you insist, I will give it a shot,” Elene replied, hesitantly picking up a dagger to chop the vegetables.

Ketal watched her with a satisfied expression. This was the ideal level of comfort and distance between a mercenary and their client.

Once again, Ketal had succeeded. Deep within, he was completely satisfied.

As this pleasant scene unfolded, far from their group, deep within the forest, a figure watched from the shadows.

“So, they have suddenly gotten close, huh? Shame I can’t hear what they’re saying,” the man muttered. The figure appeared young, with an unremarkable face one might see anywhere.

However, his appearance was deceptive. In reality, he was one of the oldest beings in existence—a lich, the Master of the Mage Tower.

Having donned the guise of a human, the lich had come to observe Ketal. The Tower Master had made his move as soon as his conversation with Kain had ended.

Though he had been watching Ketal through his Eye of Observation, he had wanted to see him in person.

Without informing anyone, the Tower Master traveled to the Barcan Estate. Despite the physical and magical barriers guarding the borders, they were meaningless to him. He arrived at Barcan Estate in the blink of an eye.

However, by the time he arrived, Ketal had already left for the escort mission. The Tower Master decided to follow and had been observing the journey ever since.

“Kain... you were right,” the Tower Master murmured to himself. He had never seen a barbarian who cooked in his long life. And judging by the preparation, the food looked like it might even be delicious.

What’s more, Ketal had somehow managed to win over his initially hostile clients. The Tower Master found this fascinating. If not for Ketal’s barbarian appearance, the Tower Master might have questioned whether he was truly one.

Narrowing his eyes, the Tower Master mused himself. The White Snowfield—the uncharted wilderness even the great emperors of the past failed to conquer.

Barbarians from such a place weren’t supposed to be like this. Yet, Ketal displayed behaviors that were undeniably civilized. He could cook with the precision of an artisan. He used tools with practiced skill.

Ketal could hold conversations that dissolved distrust and suspicion. He stood watch alone, showing an unusual level of care for others.

What’s going on? Who is he? the Tower Master thought. What could possibly exist within the White Snowfield to produce such a barbarian?

It was strange—so strange, in fact, that Ketal seemed even more civilized than the ordinary barbarians of this world. The Tower Master’s innate curiosity and insatiable desire for knowledge began to stir.

Should I get closer?

The distance was too great, and his magic was minimized for caution, which meant he couldn’t hear their conversations. He wanted to know what they were saying.

After a brief moment of deliberation, the Tower Master made his decision to move closer.

The lich began to act, slowly advancing toward Ketal. In an instant, Ketal suddenly stood up, startling Elene, who had been clumsily chopping vegetables.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

At that moment, the Tower Master saw that Ketal was looking directly at him.

What? He’s looking right at me! the Tower Master thought. Impossible!

The distance between them was at least one kilometer, with dense forest blocking any line of sight. No normal senses could detect the Tower Master’s presence. The forest teemed with animals and insects, masking any trace of his movement.

Yet, Ketal murmured, “There’s someone out there.”

“Excuse me?” Elene asked in confusion.

“I’ll be back. Stay here,” Ketal said.

Before Elene could respond, Ketal vanished instantly.

The Tower Master’s eyes widened in shock. He expanded his senses, unleashing a surge of mana that spread through the forest, forming a detection field.

And that was when he realized that Ketal was already right in front of him. Startled, the Tower Master raised his hand, unleashing a surge of mana that caused the forest to erupt around them. Ketal stepped into the clearing, standing face-to-face with the Tower Master.